Trap-spring.



T H. HUGHES.

TRAP SPRING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE'B, 1912.

Patented Dec. 24, 1912.

THOMAS HOUSTON HUGHES, or was]: POINT, TENNESSEE.

TRAP-SPRING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Application filed June 8, 1912. Serial No. 702,469.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. HUGHES, a citizen of the United States,residing at West Point, in the county of Lawrence, State of Tennessee,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trap- Springs; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to traps and has for an object to provide atether for the trap having a helical spring attached at one end to thetrap and at the opposite end to the trap anchoring chain, the springyielding during the efforts of the entrapped animal to escape so thatsharp tugs upon the bush or the like to which the chain is secured withconsequent breaking of the bush and loss of the animal and trap isobviated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a helical spring havingnovel terminals for engaging the trap and the chain.

With the above objects in View the invention consists of certain noveldetails of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fullydescribed and claimed, it being understood that various modificationsmay be made in the minor details of construction Within the scope of theappended claim.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification :-Figure1 is a side elevation of the .t-rap'and tether. Fig. 2 is a plan View ofan ordinary rat trap equipped with my improved tether. Fig. 3 is adetail perspective view of one terminal of the spring. Fig. 4 is adetail perspective view of the other terminal of the spring.

* Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of referencedesignate similar parts, 10 designates an ordinary rat trap and 11 thetether chainthereof, the chain being terminally equipped with a securingring 12 designed to be attached to a bush or the like for anchoring thetrap.

.- A helical spring 13 is terminally connected to the terminal link ofthe chain most remote from the securing ring and is terminally connectedto the trap, this chain forming a yielding section of the tether andserving tocushion the chain against sharp pulls upon the entrappedanimal struggling to escape.

For attaching oneend of the spring to the chain, the terminal spiral ofthe chain is directed to form an eye 14 which encircles the PatentedDec.24,1912.

next adjacent spiral or convolution, the wire then being directedforwardly and looped upon itself as shown at 15 to form an eye whichinterlocks with the terminal link of the chain, the wire finally beingdirected rearwardly and looped upon itself to form an eye 16 whichencircles the terminal con-. volution of the spring diametricallyopposite the first named eye 14:, this construction forming an integralsecuring means on the spring for attaching one end of the spring to theconfronting end of the chain.

For attaching the spring to the trap the terminal convolution at theother end of the spring is directed forwardly and looped upon itself toform an eye 17 the wire being then arched upwardly as shown at 18 andthen again directed forwardly in the plane of the first named eye 17 toform an eye 19, the free end of the wire being finally wrapped about thearched portion 18 and terminal convolution as shown at 20. A separatebowed length of wire 21 isengaged through the leaf spring of the trapand both terminalsof this wire are terminally looped upon themselves toform eyes 22 and 23 which interlock with the eyes 17 and 19 of thespring.

It will thus be seen that the spring section of the tether is terminallyequipped with means for engaging with the trap and with promote rigidityof the the opposite end of said spring having the terminally equippedwith eyes which engage terminal convolution directed forwardly to bothabove named eyes. 10 form an eye, thence arched outwardly and Intestimony whereof, I aflix my signaterminally again directed forwardlyto form ture, in presence of two witnesses.

a second eye, the extreme end of the wire TOM. HOUSTON HUGHES. beingwrapped about said arched portion Witnesses:

and said terminal convolution, and a bowed W. I. INMAN,

length of wire passed through said trap and R. S. HEDLES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of ratents, Washington, D. 0.

